Critical care technologist

Critical care technologists monitor life support and other equipment used with critically ill patients.

Also known as: Critical care scientist

• Starter salary£32,000 a year
• Experienced£48,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 40 a week

What you'll do

You could:

• set up and maintain equipment like ventilators, dialysis machines and monitors
• attend emergency calls to critical care wards like resuscitation
• advise and train other hospital staff on how to use equipment
• negotiate with medical sales representatives
• manage staff and do admin tasks
• research, develop, assess and introduce new critical care treatments and technologies

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• the ability to work on your own
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• sensitivity and understanding
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to analyse quality or performance
• the ability to work well with your hands
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a critical care technologist

You can get into this job through a university course or by applying for an NHS training programme.

University

You can apply for a postgraduate training place on the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP). It takes 3 years to complete and includes a combination of university and training at work.

You'll be employed by an NHS organisation and paid a salary while you train.

To apply, you'll need an upper second class (2:1) honours degree or above in a subject related to the specialist area you want to work in.

If you do not have a 2:1, you could apply to the STP after you finish a health or science postgraduate course.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Volunteering

There is a lot of competition for places on the Scientist Training Programme, so it may help if you have some work experience.

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

Other routes

If you're currently employed in the NHS, you might be able to do the Scientist Training Programme through the in service route.

You would need to be selected by your employer to do this.

Career path and progression

You could:

• complete the NHS Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) to become a consultant clinical scientist
• progress to leadership and management positions
• specialise in a certain area of critical care, such as transplants, cardiology or burns
• move into academic research and teaching in higher education

Career tips

Not all healthcare science specialisms are available each year and the number of applicants to places can be high.

The National School of Healthcare Science publishes data and statistics about the NHS Scientist Training Programme .

Guides for this industry

• IT & Technology: pay, interviews and getting started →

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0